Smashing Squash Soup + Winter Squash YouTube Video

Fear-factor foods. You know what I’m talking about! Not weird or creepy foods. Just simple fruits and vegetables that you haven’t ever tried (or cooked with) because they intimidate the heck out of you!

Seems silly, right? Innocent fruits and veggies! Occasionally we glance, pause, and consider putting that produce item in our cart. But then we think “what if the kids don’t like it?“… “really, do I even have time to experiment with a new veggie this week?!” … “it will just be a waste of money!”

Yeah, there’s always a reason to forgo and instead pick up the familiar: carrots, potatoes, cucumbers, lettuce. Hey, I’ve been there. I’m still there! There are certain veg I still ignore, like daikon radish, kohlrabi, mizuna, arugula, and all things cabbage!

In my early vegan cooking days, one of those fear-factor vegetables was winter squash. They were so mysteriously unapproachable with their shapes, large size, and hard peels. I figured I’d need safety googles to tackle one!

Yet, winter squash are actually much easier (and more forgiving) than we first assume. At this point in my plant-based journey, I absolutely love winter squash. I buy several every week – and mostly eat them myself! Besides recipes, I often eat cooked squash in daily lunch bowls during the fall and winter. They are hearty and nourishing, easy to prep (yes, easy!), and delicious.

Of course, I also love using winter squash in recipes, most often in soups. Today, I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes from Plant-Powered Families. It’s so darn easy to make!

But, before you click through to the recipe, I have a video for you about prepping winter squash. My favorite way to prep winter squash is to bake them up whole. Just a quick wash of the entire whole squash, then on to a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper). Doesn’t matter the type of squash, no need to peel or cut. This saves a lot of grief trying to slice and chop these tough guys! However, if you do want to chop/cube squash for a recipe purpose, you can make it a lot easier on yourself – and I share some tips in the video below.

After watching, pick up a butternut squash or two and enjoy this silky, creamy winter soup. The secret to making this soup especially luscious and creamy without oil? Not just the use of soaked cashews but also the roasting of the squash and the onions. Roasting veggies whole is one of my new cooking secrets for infusing dishes with deep flavor without adding oil. I hope you love this technique too!

Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the squash and onion on the prepared sheet and bake for an hour or longer, until the squash is completely tender when pierced through. (Baking time will vary depending on the size of the vegetables. If you use 2 smaller squash to total 3 pounds, they will cook quicker.) Remove squash and onion from oven and cut the squash lengthwise to accelerate cooling so you can handle. Meanwhile, add the water, cashews, lemon juice, rosemary, sea salt, cinnamon, allspice, and garlic to a blender. Puree until smooth and silky. Remove the skins and seeds from the squash and add the flesh to the blender. Remove the outer tough layer of skin from the onion and add the whole roasted onion to the blender. Puree with the cashew mixture until smooth. (I use my Blendtec. If your blender isn’t large, puree in batches.) If more water is needed, add enough to loosen/thin the mixture and puree again. Transfer the mixture to a pot, scraping the blender with a spatula to loosen all the mixture. Gently heat the soup, season with extra salt if desired, and extra water to thin if you like, then serve. Serves 4.

Spices Note: Children may enjoy this soup without rosemary, and even without the cinnamon and allspice. The caramelized onion and roasted squash add so much flavor! Give it a try if your little ones are at all picky about spices and herbs.

Idea: This soup is so thick it can stand in for a pasta sauce—try in a baked pasta dish!

This was so good! I like the fact that it only called for a half cup of cashews. Are there any other soups I could make that call for just a half cup of cashews? Nuts are so high in fat. And I would like them to go further as well, because they are also so expensive.

I have PPF and have made this soup often. I have a VERY picky four year-old who requests this regularly, which is a big deal!!! I make it without the spices, as you recommend, and I just buy the cubed squash from Trader Joe’s to save time. Like all your PPF recipes, this is a keeper! Thanks for all the work you do!

I have PPF but I have to admit I haven’t tried this recipe. I will now. It looks amazing. My husband’s family introduced me to butternut squash years ago. They just cleaned the outside really well, sliced off the top and bottom, and then sliced it in about 1 inch discs. They wrapped it in foil and baked it until done. We ate the skin and the flesh. (We did remove the seeds). Of course, back then I put butter on it. Now I just grate a little fresh nutmeg on top. I look forward to the fall when the Farmers Markets have huge piles of fresh squash every year.

i am new to the vegan journey and I love the tips I am getting from your blog!

Hi Debbie, that sounds great too. When I am quite patient, I will sometimes slice it in discs and season it up to bake. Nutmeg is delicious with squash, I need to add that to my lunch bowls occasionally. Thanks, and enjoy PPF!